Families benefit by missing less work due to child care problems and increased productivity while at work.

The community benefits, too. Children who attend high-quality child care programs present less societal disengagement, less dependency on welfare and more economic productivity later in life.

All of these benefits are threatened by the low compensation offered to early care and education workers. I think we can all agree that caring for young children is more important than monitoring locker rooms, coatrooms and dressing rooms, and yet those employees make, on average, almost $2 more per hour than our caregivers and early childhood teachers.

You can make a difference. Visit the Center for the Childcare Workforce's website at www.ccw.org to learn more. Contact your state and federal elected officials and let them know this is unacceptable and economically unwise. Stand up for a workforce that makes a lasting difference.

Heather Wenig

president, Tippecanoe County chapter of the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children

Can you say tolerance and gratitude for returning vets?

We see the media and the public complaining about the behavior of returning military as they come back from the war. We expect them to integrate back into our society and be held to the same standards as the rest of us. Let's think about it for a moment. For the first time in modern history we are using an all-volunteer military. We are recycling them three and four tours of duty and then telling them we can't afford to give every one of them the psychological and medical care needed.

I tell you we can and must extend that care. Even if we have to cut politicians' pay, cut welfare to those who abuse it, cut grants to those who don't serve their country, quit supporting countries that hate our guts, eliminate support to illegal aliens and cut grants to frivolous projects. I submit there is no greater cause than to secure the future those and their families, who served to secure ours. If you disagree, perhaps you should step forward to serve.

I'm sorry, you just don't get to judge them on their return if you haven't been there. No matter if you are commander-in-chief, a judge or high school dropout, you haven't earned that right.

Now, let's see some real legislation to support our returning veterans. You know you can't do without their votes, so think it through.

E. Lloyd Wells

Lafayette

Advice about those bunnies after Easter deliveries

For those who purchased a baby bunny for their children's Easter baskets, think about this. Yes, baby bunnies are adorable, but they do not stay tiny and docile forever. Every year, hundreds of thousands of rabbits are dumped at shelters across the country a month or two after Easter when people realize that rabbits are in fact not low-maintenance pets who will happily sit in a small cage day after day.

Rabbits are a 10- to 12-year commitment and require intricate care involving a specialized diet of plentiful hay, vegetables and pellets, toys, lots of room to run around and plenty of daily attention and interaction. They need to be housed indoors, and dedicated areas need to be rabbit-proofed. All rabbits should be spayed or neutered upon sexual maturity to prevent reproductive cancers and behavioral problems, including urine spraying and aggression.

Rabbits can make great pets, but potential owners need to do their research and make sure they know what is involved with a rabbit's care. If you decide a rabbit would be the perfect pet for you, think of adoption through a rescue or humane society instead of purchasing from a pet store. There are millions of homeless rabbits just waiting for a family to adopt them.